Well, my Star Wars hype is in full swing, so why not rank all the Star Wars movies? This is a franchise that is important to me, and has been for almost 15 years now. With The Rise of Skywalker coming out in less than two months (I'm so excited!), let's get started with my least favorite Star Wars film.
10. Attack of the Clones
With every Star Wars movie, there's at least a couple of scenes that I find enjoyable or interesting, except this movie. Attack of the Clones is boring, has aged poorly, and features horrible writing. The dialogue here (I don't like sand) is either bland or horrendous in execution. Like, wow. I know Star Wars hasn't had the best dialogue ever, but it's really bad here. The love story is horrible and actually kind of creepy because of Anakin's actions and his facial expressions, as well as the mediocre at best acting. It also doesn't help that the other plots going on are boring and not even the action and visual effects are up to par (It doesn't help that 90% of your movie is poorly aged CGI). I will say Ewan Mcgregor and Christopher Lee were trying their best, but even they can't save this movie. This is just a really bad movie, and a film that fails to be even interestingly bad.
9. Revenge of the Sith
So... This is head and heels above the other Prequels? Oh, I don't think so. The best thing to come out of this movie is two things: 1. The memes (I love Prequel memes in general) and 2. The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise. The Darth Plagueis scene is genuinely well acted, and it adds to the Star Wars mythos with an interesting story. Besides that, John Williams' score is great as always, Ewan Mcgregor and Ian Mcdiarmid are good, and I guess a select few of the visuals have aged well? Besides that, this movie sucks. Anakin's turn to the dark side feels rushed (I know the Clone Wars TV show developed it further, but it should also be developed in the movie), the lightsaber battles don't do much for me, the dialogue is laughably bad (That's why the memes are so good), and most of all, while less so than Attack of the Clones, it's boring. These characters are ones I don't care about, even the ones where the actors are giving it their all. They're underdeveloped and have almost no good material to work with. I know a lot of movie love this movie, and if you do, that's great. I just can't stand this movie.
8. The Phantom Menace
While I still don't like this movie, I'm actually a bit more forgiving for The Phantom Menace. I can tell George Lucas was trying to make something different, but it just didn't work out. There are some good things, like the epic lightsaber duel at the end, the score, Liam Nesson and Ewan Mcgregor, and the pod racing scene. These are things that I can come back to and get enjoyment out of, but there's not much else. Jar Jar and Anakin are really unlikable and annoying; They're written poorly and the actors are simply not very good. Darth Maul looks cool, but he's got no character. He's just a vaguely threatening devil-looking dude. It's a pretty bad movie, but it had good ideas that I can appreciate, but it just isn't very good.
7. Solo: A Star Wars Story
Solo is one of the rare new Star Wars movies that isn't divisive. Most people either think it's pretty good or meh, and well, I think it's pretty good. The main things I enjoyed were Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, who did a commendable job recreating Harrison Ford's performance (There were a couple of moments that were so on point that I started smiling), Donald Glover as Lando (I think everyone expected that), and the score by John Powell, which was energetic and Star Wars-like, yet different enough to distinguish itself from the films of the past. My main issue with the film is with its story, which is really bare-bones and simplistic, even by Star Wars standards, and it forces in most of Han's stories (His blaster, his last name, etc.) in this movie when they really didn't need to be answered. As a whole, it's enjoyable, but nothing special. What's more interesting is its production history (google it if you don't know what happened), and the fact that it actually turned out decent.
6. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One is another movie with an interesting production history. Apparently the original film was a lot darker, so Disney decided to undertake massive reshoots and alter director Gareth Edwards' vision. The product was actually really solid, but somewhat flawed. What I don't like about the movie is some of the pacing in the first half being kinda choppy, and some of these characters, while fine, feel underdeveloped and lacking. That being said, the third act is phenomenal. It's everything you want in a third act; Thrilling action, great tension, and stunning visuals. Darth Vader's scene at the end is one of the best in the saga, and the the cinematography feels massive in scale, like Gareth Edwards' Godzilla movie. I would want to see Edwards' cut just to know what it's like, but the film we got was solid nonetheless.
5. Return of the Jedi
While easily the weakest of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi is still a lot of fun. The first act in Jabba's palace, while convoluted, is a good way to kickstart the film. The next two acts are full of highlights as well, like anything with the Emperor, the final battle on Endor as goofy as it is, the space battle at the second Death Star, and the final lightsaber duel between Vader and Luke. My main issue with the film is that it feels somewhat disjointed. There's not much to hold together the battle on Endor from the space battle and Luke vs. Vader. There's definitely enjoyment here, but it is a flawed film. Still great, but definitely not perfect.
4. The Force Awakens
Is The Force Awakens similar to A New Hope? Absolutely, but boy, is it fun! J.J. Abrams brought a new life to the saga with The Force Awakens, which introduces both great new characters, like Rey, Finn, and especially Kylo Ren, and reintroduces the old cast successfully. Rey and Finn are wonderful characters that feel unique and have great chemistry. I really enjoy their character arcs and their interactions with Han Solo, who's also great in this movie. I know the similarities to previous movies are obvious, but they didn't bother me that much, except for Starkiller Base, which feels kinda like lazy writing to me. Besides though, it's a great reintroduction to the franchise.
3. The Last Jedi
Here it is, the internet's least favorite movie. Does it have problems? Yes. Some of the pacing's distracting, the Canto Bight plot's pretty meh, and there's some corny dialogue. That being said, I love The Last Jedi. Everything with Luke, Kylo, and Rey is pure gold. Rey's interactions with both Kylo Ren and Luke are interesting and build character, especially with Kylo Ren, who steals this movie. Adam Driver gives an exceptional performance, as do Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill. Luke's character arc makes sense to me. He reacted on impulse (a la almost killing Vader at the end of ROTJ), but it was just a fleeting thought and he ignored his teaching (Like in Empire). The fight scene with Snoke's guards is incredible and easily one of the best in the series, Poe's arc is a nice addition, and the part where the ship runs into the enemy ship at light speed is just awesome. Luke coming back at the final battle is awesome, and is a creative way to end the movie. So yeah, there's a lot to love, although it definitely is flawed, more so than The Force Awakens in my opinion. That being said, the high's here are higher than that film, and they are able to make me ignore some of its shortcomings.
2. A New Hope
Ah yes, the original Star Wars movie. What else is there to say about it? It's got great characters, a classic story line, the cast is great, and the film itself is a blast. There's not much I can add to the conversation that's already been said. It's an undeniable film classic, and while it's not as "modern" as the new stuff, it works so well. So yeah, amazing movie.
1. Empire Strikes Back
As great as A New Hope is, there's no topping Empire Strikes Back in my head. This is one of the greatest films ever made, and it's aged very well. It's the prime example on how to do a sequel; Give the characters tougher challenges, give them a sense of hopelessness, and make the story different. This movie does everything right, and nothing wrong. Even the special editions of the original trilogy didn't make this one any worse, because George Lucas can recognize a masterpiece when he sees it. Just a film classic.
